Lee Ranaldo unveiled a first glimpse at his forthcoming solo record, Between The Times & The Tides, today in the form of “Off The Wall,” a nice showcase of the Sonic Youth guitarist’s lesser-known knack for short and sweet pop/rock tunes. While plenty of the experimental edge we’ve heard in his other projects remains subtly present, the melodic hooks on this cut feel more memorable (or perhaps “hummable” would be a better word) than much of his previous work. In short, we dig it and are looking forward to hearing more from the set, which features a host of heroes guesting, such as Nels Cline, the brilliant Jim O’Rourke, Alan Licht, and keys guru John Medeski.
Check out a stream of the tune above and/or download a free MP3 thanks to Matador Records here.